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Afghanistan Cricket / Taliban

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Any predictions on what will happen to cricket in Afghanistan now that the Taliban are back in-charge? A team in exile surely can't last long without a solid domestic scene back home. How does one unearth new talent if the entire team is based in India? I know previously the Taliban supported cricket, but they are likely still the same stone-age barbarians they were previously so we will see what that means for cricket. I doubt anyone will be wanting to play in the Afghan T20 League anymore.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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eugene wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:51 am

Any predictions on what will happen to cricket in Afghanistan now that the Taliban are back in-charge? A team in exile surely can't last long without a solid domestic scene back home. How does one unearth new talent if the entire team is based in India? I know previously the Taliban supported cricket, but they are likely still the same stone-age barbarians they were previously so we will see what that means for cricket. I doubt anyone will be wanting to play in the Afghan T20 League anymore.


thought you were calling the afg team the taliban lol
ZCF OriginalZCF Hall of Famer
Heartbreaking turn of events for Afghanistan. This decision will haunt Biden for the remainder of his presidency...

We'll find out in the coming days and weeks what becomes of Afghan cricket...if the Taliban don't support them, the Afghan cricket will die a most tragic death. Will be the end of Spageeza T20 league or whatever it was called.

They need to do all they can to maintain domestic cricket, but my gut says sponsorships will be extremely hard to come by. Even if the Taliban allow/supprt cricket, the money will run dry and the game will cease to exist.
Bangladesh cricket fanatic, observer of all others.
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Yeah, it's anybody's guess what the future of cricket is. Sad for a whole generation of cricketers coming through. Current national team could position themselves in India or UAE for a while and see how it goes, but what about the growth of the game in the country?
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CrimsonAvenger wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:14 pm

Yeah, it's anybody's guess what the future of cricket is. Sad for a whole generation of cricketers coming through. Current national team could position themselves in India or UAE for a while and see how it goes, but what about the growth of the game in the country?


the taliban themselves seem to support cricket because it doenst have shorts and stuff like football. They even play it I think. But yeah funding is gonna be tough
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I imagine the Taliban will seek out ZC to learn how to still get ICC money but not really organize much of anything.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/other/ ... NewsSearch

This story seems to suggest that most of the national team players are in Kabul and training.

Honestly the best thing for the Afghanistan cricket (not necessarily the country itself) would be the Taliban being internationally recognized as the new government and avoiding sanctions that would make sponsorship deals impossible. I have serious doubts this will happen, but perhaps the Taliban will run a similar regime to Iran? An Iran-like government is the very best scenario for the country at this point.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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eugene wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:15 pm

I imagine the Taliban will seek out ZC to learn how to still get ICC money but not really organize much of anything.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/other/ ... NewsSearch

This story seems to suggest that most of the national team players are in Kabul and training.

Honestly the best thing for the Afghanistan cricket (not necessarily the country itself) would be the Taliban being internationally recognized as the new government and avoiding sanctions that would make sponsorship deals impossible. I have serious doubts this will happen, but perhaps the Taliban will run a similar regime to Iran? An Iran-like government is the very best scenario for the country at this point.


Its possible. In 2001, the only countries that recognized them were Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Pakistan. This time China and Russia seem to be in the mix and they have all the money.

The best case (for the country and for cricket) would be if NATO can convince the Taliban to moderate their behavior (allow women to work/school, ensure civil rights for the population) in return for some degree of integration into the world economic system. Money talks for everyone.
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Kriterion_BD wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:44 pm


eugene wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 5:15 pm

I imagine the Taliban will seek out ZC to learn how to still get ICC money but not really organize much of anything.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/sports/other/ ... NewsSearch

This story seems to suggest that most of the national team players are in Kabul and training.

Honestly the best thing for the Afghanistan cricket (not necessarily the country itself) would be the Taliban being internationally recognized as the new government and avoiding sanctions that would make sponsorship deals impossible. I have serious doubts this will happen, but perhaps the Taliban will run a similar regime to Iran? An Iran-like government is the very best scenario for the country at this point.


Its possible. In 2001, the only countries that recognized them were Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Pakistan. This time China and Russia seem to be in the mix and they have all the money.

The best case (for the country and for cricket) would be if NATO can convince the Taliban to moderate their behavior (allow women to work/school, ensure civil rights for the population) in return for some degree of integration into the world economic system. Money talks for everyone.


Do you think an Iran model is the best case scenario or is that too ambitious? And by that I mean, a clerical leadership at the top with some political system operating underneath. The Taliban must surely realise in the age of social media they can't just go back to the stone age, it is much easier for people to put up resistance these days.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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eugene wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:46 pm

Do you think an Iran model is the best case scenario or is that too ambitious? And by that I mean, a clerical leadership at the top with some political system operating underneath. The Taliban must surely realise in the age of social media they can't just go back to the stone age, it is much easier for people to put up resistance these days.


Who knows. I suspect the real shot callers here will be the Chinese and or Russians. This is why a low level US presence was required. From what I heard it would have taken a fraction of the troops (and money) than we still have in South Korea or Taiwan or even Germany.

For now cricket seems to be OK. Men's cricket at least. The ACB was actually established in 1997 under the Taliban so there seems to be precedent for the game. The current ACB chief does however expect women's cricket to be curtailed if not cancelled alltogether.
Bangladesh cricket fanatic, observer of all others.
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Yeah I wonder how many US troops would have been required? 2,000? 5,000? You would think one full-time base and a few troops positioned around key locations would have been enough to keep the Taliban and Chinese out.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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eugene wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 12:07 am

Yeah I wonder how many US troops would have been required? 2,000? 5,000? You would think one full-time base and a few troops positioned around key locations would have been enough to keep the Taliban and Chinese out.


According to Daniel Pipes, it was 2500 in AFG with no combat losses in 1.5 years whereas we keep 5K in countries like Bahrain or 7K in Germany for the past 70 years. We could have easily managed 2500. It would even be understandable if we took the money saved and created programs like basic income or universal healthcare. Invest that money in America and Americans at least.
Bangladesh cricket fanatic, observer of all others.
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This is where the Trump plan was correct, to secretly empty out the helpers and get troops out in the cover of the night to keep the Taliban guessing.

Even if you don’t agree to that, you can see Biden did this the worst way possible.
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Also I am no expert on this subject, but isn’t it easier to go after whoever is funding the Taliban?
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ZIMDOGGY wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:04 pm

This is where the Trump plan was correct, to secretly empty out the helpers and get troops out in the cover of the night to keep the Taliban guessing.

Even if you don’t agree to that, you can see Biden did this the worst way possible.


Yeah Biden screwed up the logistics and potentially intelligence info regarding the rate at which the AFG government would fall. but unfortunately from what I understand Biden was locked into the Feb 2020 withdrawal treaty which was signed by Trump and the Taliban.

Like it or not, a US troop presence becomes necessary once military engagements commence.

The one thing Trump can be praised for in his 4 years was that he didn't start any new wars.
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Kriterion_BD wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:08 pm


ZIMDOGGY wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:04 pm

The one thing Trump can be praised for in his 4 years was that he didn't start any new wars.


One thing I’m surprised he isn’t praised/criticised for, or bend spoken about was when he fired the generals because they recommended war during his tenure.

We know it because he tweeted about it.

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There’s also the fact that this strategy, as unconventional as it is. seemed to work.

People couldn’t mess with trunk because of his ego and sense of national pride.

EC12C1F9-6C9B-4861-95D9-1728794DBD96.jpeg
EC12C1F9-6C9B-4861-95D9-1728794DBD96.jpeg (91.92 KiB) Viewed 221 times
ZCF Hall of Famer
Afghans series against Pakistan is now postponed indefinately, not good signs these, as a cricket fan I hope their cricket survives, obviously it helps teams like Zimbabwe, Ireland, Netherlands to qualify for next World Cup if Afghanistan flop, but I'm sure that is not how we and the teams want it to be.
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Situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting worse every day. Tragic news of blasts at Kabul Airport killing many.

I don't know how can their cricketers focus on cricket during the T20 WC.
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sam_ahm wrote: ↑Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:45 am

Situation in Afghanistan seems to be getting worse every day. Tragic news of blasts at Kabul Airport killing many.

I don't know how can their cricketers focus on cricket during the T20 WC.


It’s possible they, or a few, are pro Taliban.

I’m very curious to know their groundswell support.
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I would be surprised if many of the cricketers are pro-Taliban. Wasn't cricket in Afghanistan founded by people who fled the Taliban.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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